Overview

Alan grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UMass/Amherst with a BS degree in psychology. He and his college sweetheart (Jan) married three weeks after finishing college and both went off to graduate school at SUNY at Stony Brook. He received his PhD in experimental psychology and came directly to St. Lawrence University in 1978 and started teaching at the tender age of 26. Jan has been teaching in the computer science department at nearby Clarkson University since 1978 as well. They have three adult children and one very special new granddaughter, Emma! Alan was promoted to associate professor in 1983 and was granted tenure the following year. In 1989, he was promoted to full professor and then in 2007 was elected by the faculty to become the first Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychology. He was chair of the psychology department for 8 years during the 1990s. His main research interests are in left-handedness, human memory, and visual illusions. He has published two books on human memory and dozens of articles on a range of topics in psychology. Alan is often interviewed and quoted in the popular press and has participated in five live radio broadcasts discussing his research on either left-handedness or memory improvement. He regularly teaches Introductory Psychology, Research Methods with Lab, and Sensation & Perception with Lab. He especially enjoys working with students doing empirical research.